QB- Tale of two halves. I stated I wanted to see improvement in December and Pickett definitely had a much improved second half. He pushed the ball down field more often which resulted in maybe a lower completion percentage but a much improved yards per attempt and TD to INT ratio. He seemed to make better decisions in and out of the pocket. I also think leaning on the run game allowed him to slow down a bit open more passing lanes. Toppled with his two game winning drives vs the Ravens and Raiders were confidence builders going into 2023. It was definitely a positive end to the season. That said we will need a step up in play next year if we are to make waves and not just get to the playoffs but win a game or two. If you take KP's last 7 games and spread it out over a 17 game season he would have thrown for a tick over three thousand yards, with 12 td's and two or 3 picks. Now we don't need him to be Tom Brady next year but I want to see that steady increase in play. My hope for him is 3,500+ yards, 20+ TDs and less than 10 INT's. I think with a year of experience under his belt and a good offseason those are all reasonable aspirations. As for the backup situation I would not expect Trubisky to be back and that is ok. He received his contract much like Tyrod Taylor in the assumption he should get paid like a starter but you will be hard pressed to find an 8 million dollar backup on a roster. Looking at 2023 QB free agents it is actually going to be a buyers market. Brady, Mayfield, Darnold, Garoppolo, Bridgewater, Daniel Jones, Rudolph, Geno Smith, Brissett, Mike White, Dobbs, Andy Dalton, Minshew, Heinicke, Lamar Jackson, Cooper Rush, and guys like Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Tannehill are likely to be on the market as well. Now obviously some of those guys will be tagged or signed before free agency but that is a decent crop of free agents. I would probably target Dobbs as he is a very intelligent QB who could almost be a player coach at 28 to Pickett on the sideline. The titans might sign him immediately to compete as Tannehill is likely gone, Willis is no where near ready to start, and Dobbs has done "ok
in his two starts with the team. An offseason could really do wonders for him as well. But with the list of guys above my intuition thinks a guy like Jacoby Brissett would be a target for them and a draft pick. Leaving Dobbs as the odd man out. Wait a few weeks and thow a 2-year 4 million dollar deal at him and see if he bites.
| Cmp | Att | Inc | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rate | Sk | Yds | Y/A | AY/A |
|---|
| 130 | 195 | 65 | 66.67 | 1161 | 2 | 8 | 68.8 | 18 | 115 | 5.95 | 4.31 |
| 115 | 194 | 79 | 59.28 | 1243 | 5 | 1 | 84.6 | 9 | 67 | 6.41 | 6.69 |
RB- Much like above this was a tale of two halves for Harris. I believe, no real proof, that Harris was far from 100% at the start of the season. He probably tried playing through pain which is admirable but might have been detrimental to the team as well. Below is Najee's first 8 games vs his last 9. Looking at the roster Snell is likely gone as I feel he will at least try to catch on as a backup. He is a good special teamer but with the addition of Warren expendable. I wish him good luck. I think McFarland experiment should be about over. So a late round or UDFA running back is what I would want here. Tyjae Spears I saw rated as a 7th/UDFA priority and if he was there in the 7th I would jump all over that. Same with Roschon Johnson from Texas. He played behind the best running back in college football and did well in his few opportunities. Guess what I am saying there will be a solid #3 back who can push the guys above late in the draft.
WR- I am very excited about this group as Pickens could be the best of the bunch for that deep 2022 receiving draft class. We don't even know what we have with Calvin Austin III. And even though DJ gets a lot of guff he is an above average receiver. Just needs to get better focus for his hands. I would not be against grabbing a receiver in the draft even with the core we have. I don't think it is a huge need as is but I probably wouldn't commit to DJ past this contract unless he is willing to sign for cheap. I also would be willing to listen to trade offers but would need a 1st or a combination that included a couple of day two picks. That said I think using Austin's speed paired with Pickens hands and DJ's route running should be a nice trio of options for Pickett all bringing their uniqueness to the offense.
TE- Freiermuth is a stud and I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when we found out his knee didn't have a tear. I think he and Pickett had a nice chemistry especially when things started to breakdown. I look forward to that relationship continuing to grow. But Gentry is likely gone and Heyward is more of a HB than pure TE. I was hoping we could stash Rader on the practice squad one more year but the Titans snaked him. So we likely need at the very least a blocking TE.
FB- I just can't justify bringing Watt back for 3.25m a year. He is a special teams ace and a decet inline blocking FB and short yardage guy but with the emergence of Heyward I really can't justify that price tag. I would let him test free agency and then offer him the 1.2m league min for his years of service. That I could support but other than that we just need to let him walk.
OL- This unit is much improved over Roethlisberger's last year. Still room for improvement but as a whole I would say top 15 in the NFL compared to dead last in 2021. IMO Dan Moore would be a phenomenal LG. I just don't think he has the kick slide to keep up with elite pass rushers at a premier position. But you put him in a phone booth and I really feel he would blossom into a pro bowl guard. Kevin Dotson just isn't more than an above average backup or spot starter. Way too many mental mistakes. 12 penalties is just not acceptable. Mason isn't something to write home about but has played above the line and is a smart player with only one penalty all year long. I think he is reasonably priced and though if a guy like John Michael Schmitz was staring me in the eyes with our second round pick I probably run to the podium, I would not feel the need to draft a center with Cole and JC on the roster next year. James Daniels is definitely the best lineman in terms of pass and run blocking and was a good free agent pickup. I think he needs to tighten up his 5 penalties but overall he played well. He started off like the entire line looking confused and lost but by the end of the season really had blossomed as a quality guard. Chuks is probably the second worst offensive lineman we have though has played better this last couple years. I am on the fence about his roster bonus due March 20th. I look at a guy like Jermaine Eluemunor who is a much better overall blocker and listed market value is 5.6 million and think to myself we could save 4.4 million and improve a spot on the line. Now easier said than done but I would say if we drafted two tackles in this draft I would not be upset.
